The campaign, which is part of Operation Safer Surrey, is aimed at reducing offences and bringing more offenders to justice following a 16 per cent rise in robberies in the county last year. There were 605 personal robberies in Surrey in 2002/03 compared to 519 the previous year. Police assure this is a comparatively low number of offences, particularly compared to London. But these are serious offences that can be traumatic for the victims. Victims and offenders are most likely to be young men. Home Office figures show that one third of all robberies involve the theft of mobile phones and many could be prevented if users were more discreet in when, where and how they use them. Surrey Police advise: Be particularly careful in the street and in public areas where people congregate; Don’t flash your mobile phone around, keep it in a safe and secure place where it is not on view; Go to a safe place to make a phone call; Don’t walk along the street talking on your mobile, it makes you less aware of your surroundings and makes you a target for thieves. Write down your phone’s identifying code number (IMEI). It can be found either on a sticker beneath the battery or on screen by keying *#06# into most phones. If your phone is lost or stolen, a call to 08701 123 123 can immobilise it in minutes. Surrey Police officers will be cracking down on offenders by using the latest mobile CCTV and mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology to track them down. These operations will be intelligence-led with persistent offenders being particularly targeted. When offenders are detained, the force will work with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure they are remanded in custody whenever possible and only granted bail with strict conditions. The aim is to take these people off the streets to make them a safer place for everyone else. There will be a poster campaign in buses, bus shelters and railway stations and the Immobilise Phone Crime campaign will advise people to stop their lost or stolen mobile phones being used by getting them blocked. Superintendent Martin Parker, who is heading up the campaign for Surrey Police, said: “Don’t flash your mobile phone around. Keep it in a safe and secure place where it is not on view. You wouldn’t flash £100 in cash around, which is the average value of a mobile phone. “Robberies in Surrey are not common but we are determined to reduce them. Young men commit the majority of offences and their victims are generally younger. “Taking the simple steps we suggest should reduce these offences and, if phones are stolen, robbers will not be able to use them.” Call 0845 125 2222 for all non-emergency policing matters. Call 999 if you have a genuine emergency requiring the attendance of the police (a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger). Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you have information about crime and don’t want to leave your name.